Vaccination letter, 40 organisations
The Netherlands, 9 December 2005To the EU Council, att. Ministers of Agriculture:
Bundesministerium für Gesundheit und Frauen,
Austria
Agence Fédérale pour la Sécurité de la Chaîne Alimentaire,
Belgium
Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic
Veterinary Services and Ministry of Agriculture,
Natural Resources and Environment, Cyprus
Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Veterinary Service, Denmark
Ministry of Agriculture, Estonia
Maa- ja metsätalousministeriö Elintarvike- ja terveysosasto,
Finland
Ministere de l’Agriculture, de la Peche et des Affaires Rurales
Direction Générale de l’Alimentation
Sous-Direction de la Santé et de la Protection Animale, France
Bundesministerium für Verbraucherschutz,
Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, Germany
Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate General of Veterinary Services
Directorate K.A.F.E., Greece
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Department of Animal Health and Food Control, Hungary
Department of Agriculture and Food, Agriculture House, Ireland Ministero della Salute, Dipartimento della Prevenzione e della Comunicazione,
Direzione Generale della Sanita Veterinaria e degli Alimenti, Italy
Ministry of Agriculture, Latvia
Ministry of Agriculture, Lithuania
Administration des Services Vétérinaires du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment
Food and Veterinary Regulation Division, Malta
Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit,
The Netherlands
Veterinary Inspection, General Veterinary Inspectorate, Poland
Direcção Geral de Veterinária, Portugal
Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Slovenia
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
Dirección Generale de Ganaderia, Subdirección General de Ordenación y Buenas Prácticas, Spain
Jordbruksverket, Sweden
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Exotic Disease Prevention and Control Division,
United Kingdom
Dear Madam, dear Sir,
Last week the European Parliament voted for the amendments which were approved by the Agriculture Committee, concerning the Proposal for a Council Directive on Community measures for the control of Avian Influenza (a proposal for a Council Decision amending Council Decision 90/424/EEC on expenditure in the veterinary field).
After Parliament's vote, on Thursday last week, the ball will be in the court of the Council, which plans to push through the legislation (a priority of the UK Presidency) before the end of the year.
The Council will assemble on December 19th - 21st.
We would like to emphasise the view of non-commercial/pet holders’ organisations to the Council: there are no more excuses not to vaccinate!
Up till now the authorities - whether they are the Ministers, the MP’s, MEP’s or the politicians in general, the WHO, OIE or the FAO - have all been holding back on a definite YES to vaccination.
Either trade issues are at stake, or the available vaccines are said to be not yet effective enough, more research is said to be necessary, there would be no registered vaccines in Europe and the costs are said to be too high (each bird has to be injected twice with an interval of 4 weeks).
But we - the EU - cannot afford to hold back. Bird flu is out of control in Asia, where China and Indonesia (with the help of Dutch experts) have started a vaccination programme. From Romania and this week even from Ukraine (not the EU, but Europe nevertheless) the reports of new outbreaks keep coming. And very alarmingly in Zimbabwe HPAI H5 has been found. What if it turns out to be H5N1, Africa will not be able to control this disease, not logistically and not economically! Another continent out of control!
Even the poultry industry itself, which has been objecting to vaccination for years, is now asking for abandoning the non-vaccination programme, but demands trade guarantees.
The European Parliament has accepted amendment 112, art. 58, par. 3 (new): “to permit vaccination if a threatening international situation arises, without this leading to restrictions on Community trade” and amendment 105, art. 53, par. 1 sub a: vaccination against avian influenza is prohibited on their territory, except as provided for in Sections 2 and 3 and except if the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) anticipates an international threat of avian influenza or if a Member State intends to introduce extra measures for poultry.
This combined with the news of Dutch research* on the effectiveness of vaccines should take away any hesitation to start a vaccination programme in Europe. Especially the conclusion of the named research is very convincing:
‘Vaccination is a means to stop the spreading of these very virulent bird flu viruses and therefore a means to take away the source of human contamination.’
All supporting non-commercial/pet holders’ organisations insist, like many times before, that the EU takes its responsibility and orders all member states to start vaccinating commercial poultry, the best way to control an outbreak of H5N1. This way, non-commercial and smallholders of pet poultry and other birds are no longer obliged to keep their birds inside for months, which is not even practicable for holders of waterfowl (without open space and water their birds die).
It must, however, be clear that non-commercial/pet holders should have the possibility to vaccinate if their situation demands such; but by no means should non-commercial/pet holders be obliged to vaccinate, because the risk of these holdings is almost zero, as many experts have stated many times.
Now is the time for the European Union to show what is in fact the worth and added value of being a union to all her inhabitants.
EU Ministers of Agriculture: this is a wake up call. ‘Act before it’s too late!’
With the utmost regards on behalf of
Paula Polman MPH, chairman NBvH (Dutch Smallholder Association)
Christine Bijl, Secretary For more information, please contact:
Paula Polman, +31.651.13.41.03
Christine Bijl, +31.342.441911
*CIDC Lelystad, published on-line December 5, 2005: Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences, DOI:10.1073/pnas.0505098102
On behalf of the supporting organisations below:
Center for Biodiversitet, Denmark
Heine Refsing, Chairman
www.biodiverse.dk
Herning og Omegns Fjerkræklub (Local Association for the social purpose and to keep several different poultry breeds), Denmark
Søren Thomassen, president
ProNaturA France
M. Eglin, Secretary
www.pronaturafrance.free.fr
Dommerringen under DFfR, Denmark
(National Association for all Poultry- judgement)
Søren Thomassen, president
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FREE FARMERS- LIVING LAND, Denmark
Egon Kjær Sørensen, Chairman
www.levende-land.dk
Aktiv Gen Bevarelse, Denmark
Susanne Kristensen
www.genbevaring.dk
Féd. Française des éleveurs de volailles et palmipèdes, France
Jean-Claude PERIQUET, Président
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SLE (Foundation of Livestock Heritage), Belgium
Jan Martens, Chairman
www.sle.be
SAVE-Foundation
Staf van den Bergh, Chairman
www.save-foundation.be
Komitee ter Bescherming van de Hobby
(Committee for Protection of Hobby), Belgium
Luuc van Havere, Chairman
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Förbundet Sveriges Småbrukare
(Association of Swedish Smallhollders), Sweden
Rune Lanestrand, Chairman
www.smabrukaren.o.se
ZEL (Zentralverband europäischer Laufentenhalter/Central European Association of Runner Duck Keepers), Germany
Alexandra Vogel-Reich, President
www.zel-eu.de
Call Duck Association UK
Graham Barnard, Secretary
www.callducks.net
The Indian Runner Duck Association, UK
Richard Sadler, Secretary
www.runnerduck.net
International Wild Waterfowl Association,
USA
Ali Lubbock, Secretary
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www.wildwaterfowl.org
Kleintierzuchtverbandes Straßwalchen und
Umgebung S-7
Austria
Klinger Friedrich, Obmann
And
Sparte Tauben Österreich, Austria
Klinger Friedrich, Bundesobmann
www.kleintierzucht-roek.at/ tauben/rasseneinteilung
Verband für Hühner-, Groß- und
Wassergeflügelvereine (VHGW), (8.300 members), Germany
Michael Freiherr von Lüttwitz, Chairman
www.vhgw.de
Sociedad Española para los Recursos Genéticos Animales,
Spain
Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Secretary
www.uco.es/serga
Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter e.V.
(300.000 members) mit Sitz in Offenbach
Germany
Präsident: Wilhelm Riebniger
www.bdrg.de
Specialklubben for Chabos og Skæghøns
(Danish specialclub for Chabos and Bartzwerge), Denmark
Benny Pedersen, President
www.chabosogskaeg.dk
Aviornis International Deutschland
Ludger Gehling, Chairman
www.aviornis.de
Aviornis International VWZ, Belgium
Karel Wuijts, Chairman
www.aviornis.be
Aviornis International France
Patrick Lalanne, Chairman
Aviornis International UK
Laurie Crampton, Secretary
www.aviornis.co.uk
BWA (British waterfowl Association), United Kingdom
Sue Schubert, Secretary
www.waterfowl.org.uk
Aviornis International Nederland
Ing. Peter Kreijger, Chairman
www.aviornis.nl
SZH (Found. Rare Domesticated Farm Animals), Holland
Dr. Berthold Janszen, Chairman
www.szh.nl
NBvH (Dutch Smallholders Association)
Paula Polman, Chairman
www.hobbydierhouder.nl
Entente Européenne d'aviculture et de cuniculture /
Europaverband für Geflügel-, Kaninchen-,
Tauben- und Caviazucht mit Sitz in Luxemburg
Präsident: Urs Freiburghaus
www.entente-ee.com
affiliated organisations in following countries:
Austria Belgium
Bosnia Czech Republic
Croatia Denmark
France Germany
Hungary Italy
Latvia Luxembourg
Macedonia Netherlands
Norway Poland
Portugal Rumania
Russia Slovak Republic
Slovenia Spain
Sweden Switzerland
United Kingdom Yugoslav Republic
De Dommellandse Dierenvrienden uit Peer, België
Bert Driessen, Secretary
www.users.pandora.be/ dommellandse_dierenvrienden/
RED CYTED XII-H, Spain
(Red Iberoamericana Sobre la Conservación de la Biodiversidad
de los animales Domésticos Locales para el Desarrollo
Rural Sustentable)
Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, International Coordinator
www.uco.es/grupos/cyted
Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities, USA
Christine Heinrichs, Publicity Director SPPA
5417 Park Meadow Dr.
Madison, Wisconsin
www.feathersite.com/Poultry/SPPA/SPPA.html
Svenska Rasfjäderfäförbundet, Sweden.
Kyrkbyn 2, SE-535 91 Kvänum,
Mrs Ingegerd Grönberg, Chairman
www.hem.passagen.se
The Goose Club, United Kingdom
Denise Moss, Secretary
www.users.waitrose.com/~ashwyn
VZV Verband der Zwerghuhnzüchter-Vereine e. V. im BDRG, Germany
Karl Stratmann, Prasident
www.vzv.de